This month I feel like the two themes God had been really teaching me about is personal worship and authentic, spiritual community. These two ideas are very important in our spiritual walk, and on the race.
This month was preceded by me losing my two closest teammates. One of our squad mates decided to go home and that meant team changes for other teams. Since we were the largest team, with 8 people, we expected some change but when it became a reality we were still heartbroken. These were the girls I had lived with for the first two months and I am sad to say I hadn’t really bonded with anyone from the rest of my team. So we found out that we were getting split up, and then on top of that, team Braveheart would be separated from everyone else in India, so we wouldn’t get to see them all month. In my mind I was thinking, “Just Great! Now I get to be stuck with a whole group of people that I don’t know and don’t like!” Up until that point, I hadn’t gotten close with anyone else and I just felt so different from everyone else. I thought Harris and Ali were just so extroverted, loud, and they were the jock-type people, and I’m over here as the quiet, nerdy girl. Katie D is older and comes from such a different place in life, how was I going to be able to relate to her? Seth was just…well Seth. Drew was the only one I felt remotely close to because he always laughed at my jokes . I was just thinking “What the heck am I going to do?!”
One thing God had been teaching me, though was how he sees us with so much grace and through our ultimate identity, which is found in Jesus. Therefore we should also see each other this way, in that their identity is rooted in Christ. So it doesn’t matter what fleshly differences there may be, you first have common ground as brothers and sisters in Christ, viewing one another with the grace that God views us with. The rest will come from there, so I was trying to bond with my team during our first few days in India, but a part of me was still just thinking, “all you have to do is just make it though, team changes will probably happen soon anyway.” This was the fleshly part of me that I soon cast out, because I realized, we are different, and in different places spiritually, but that just means we bring a lot to the table and have a lot we can learn from one another, and also that I needed to learn to love my brothers and sisters. I know God has a reason for everything, therefore he had a plan when he put the six of us together.
The first week was difficult. I missed home and missed my friends but I tried to pour into my team. From there, bonding came a lot easier and quicker than I’d imagined. The fact that all we had was each other for this month probably helped that a lot. Honestly, it was exactly what we needed as a team. I started to really try and pour out to them and connect, and I could see them trying to connect with me as well. I began to see each of them in a new light and God was working though and in all of us.
Now, as I write this, it is the last week of our month in India and I am so thankful for this month and these people, and personally, I do feel like they are my family now. I can see each of us opening up and bonding in our own way, and the relationships being formed are real, and loving. I can honestly tell you I love these people so much and appreciate them for who they are, and SO thankful that God put us all together.
So here’s to you, my Team Braveheart family!! You mean the world to me and I love you so much!!
